Seminar on Terrorism Spring 2010

Transcription

1 PL SC 439/ ADM J 439 Seminar on Terrorism Spring 2010 Professor: David Carter Course Location: 230 Arts Office: 211 Pond Laboratory Course Time: Tues, Thur 6:30 7:45 Office Hours: Tuesday 10:00am 11:00am dbc10@psu.edu Office Phone: OVERVIEW: Since the early 1980s, terrorism has become an increasingly prominent security concern for the United States government and its citizens. The events of September 11, 2001 quickly moved terrorism even more to the forefront of U.S. security concerns. Although thinking of terrorism as a top security concern is relatively new to the U.S., many countries and regions of the world have long dealt with terrorism as both a top security concern and a factor in everyday life. In this course, we will examine terrorism from several distinct angles as well as develop a solid understanding of important historical instances of terrorism. The course will begin with examination of what exactly constitutes terrorism, as this is often a point of contention. Our exploration of what defines terrorism will be informed by numerous historical examples. Next, we will study the individual motivations of terrorists and potential terrorists. We move from individual motivations to viewing terrorist groups as organizations that are many times similar in function to other political organizations (e.g., states). The strategies and tactics of terrorist and insurgent groups are given particular attention. We finish the course with a focus on the international politics of terrorism. In particular, we examine the many connections between states and terrorist groups, which range from various kinds of state support, state counterterrorism and counterinsurgency, to state negotiations with groups. Much of the material covered in this class is difficult and abstract. Ultimately, theory should be used to explain actual cases and to aid in organization of our thoughts about the world around us. Terrorism is obviously a topic that is in the news on a daily, if not hourly basis. Students are expected to come to each class prepared to discuss current events, integrating what we have learned conceptually in the course into the discussions. To ensure that such discussions are fruitful, it is required that students consult print news sources (e.g., newspapers, periodicals) on a daily basis. Newspapers are available at numerous locations on campus as well as on internet sites such as: or news.bbc.co.uk. 1

2 GRADING: Final grades for this course are determined as follows: Final Paper - 30% First Examination - 25% Second Examination - 30% Participation - 15% General Attendance and Participation - 10% Paper Idea Presentation - 5% Below are more detailed explanations of each of the four components to the final grade. 1. Final Paper: A page paper (12 point font, double-spacing) that examines a topic of direct relevance to one of the main themes in the course. The topics are to be chosen by the students and cleared with me. The papers should provide an explanation for a phenomenon (e.g., an event, the behavior of a group, the policy of a state towards a group) based on theoretical ideas studied and discussed in the course. Topics should be cleared with me by the beginning of class on February 2. A short paragraph discussing the topic and how you plan to approach it can be either ed to me or directly handed in after class or during office hours. Failure to turn in a topic proposal on time will result in a grade penalty of 2 points for each day it is late. It is important that this paper is written, proof-read several times by yourself and others, and edited substantially, as it is 35% of your final grade. A good paper requires at least three weeks of consistent work. The paper is due on the final day of class, May 3, at 5:00pm. Late papers are penalized by a full letter grade for each day they are late. 2. Examinations: Two in-class examinations will be given during the course. The exams will consist of two sections: identification of key concepts and essay. The identification section will list 6 key concepts or ideas from the course readings and lectures of which students will need to choose 4 to explain. The concept should be correctly explained and then briefly applied to an actual example from the readings or from current events. The essay portion of the exams will consist of 3 questions of which students must choose 2 to answer. All identification concepts and essay questions will come directly from the readings and lectures, so exams will reward all who have kept up with the work. The second examination will focus mostly on material covered since the first examination; however, concepts covered previous to the first examination will inevitably come up, as the topics in the course are all closely linked. 3. Participation: Active participation in class discussions are important to ensure that everyone benefits as much as possible from the course. A baseline for the participation grade is simply attendance. It is quite hard for me to award a good 2

3 participation grade to students who are not in class. Beyond that, students are expected to weigh in on class discussions in a way that demonstrates they have done the readings and more importantly, given some serious thought to them. While there are no hard and fast rules, I should generally observe good contribution to discussions from each student at least once a week. However, please note that I assess contributions for their quality rather than their quantity. A five minute presentation to the class outlining the basic idea behind your paper project and the arguments and evidence used in the paper will take place over the last three sessions of class. This short presentation is worth one-third of your participation grade, or 5% of your overall grade. The presentation is intended to both ensure that students are well along in the writing process by the final few weeks of class as well and to provide an opportunity to receive feedback that can improve the paper before it is turned in. Below is the grading scale for all parts of the final grade: A A B B B C C C D D D READING: The readings are from the two required books as well as numerous scholarly articles. Most of the articles are posted on ANGEL, otherwise they are all available electronically through the library website. The required books are: Daniel Byman Deadly Connections: States that Sponsor Terrorism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. John Hersey Hiroshima. Japan: Ishi Press. 3

4 COURSE SCHEDULE 1. January 12: Introduction of Course and Policies. No assigned reading. 2. January 14: Definitions. Noam J. Zohar Innocence and Complex Threats: Upholding the War Ethic and the Condemnation of Terrorism. Ethics, 114(4): January 19: Definitions II. David Rodin Terrorism Without Intention. Ethics, 114(4): John Hersey. Hiroshima. pages January 21: Definitions III. John Hersey. Hiroshima. Finish book. 5. January 26: Historical Background I. David C. Rapoport Fear and Trembling: Terrorism in Three Religious Traditions. The American Political Science Review, 78(3): Note: First Short Paper Due Today 6. January 21: Historical Background II. William F. Shugart An Analytical History of Terrorism. Public Choice 128: January 26: Individual Motivations I Psychological Factors. Jeff Victoroff The Mind of the Terrorist: A Review and Critique of Psychological Approaches. Journal of Conflict Resolution 49(3): January 28: Individual Motivations III Rationality. David A. Lake Rational Extremism: Understanding Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century. Dialog-IO Spring 2002: February 2: Individual Motivations V Strategies. Andrew Kydd and Barbara F. Walter The Strategies of Terrorism. International Security 31(1): February 4: Individual Motivations VI Tactics. Robert A. Pape The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism. American Political Science Review 97(3): ; Stathis N. Kalyvas and Ignacio Sánchez- Cuenca. Killing Without Dying: the Absence of Suicide Missions. In Making Sense of Suicide Missions. Editor Diego Gambetta. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pages February 9: Regime Type and Terrorism. Deniz Aksoy and David Carter Electoral Institutions and the Emergence of Terrorist Groups. 12. February 11: Organizations & Recruitment. Scott Atran The Genesis of Suicide Terrorism. Science 299(5612): ; Ethan Bueno de Mesquita The Quality of Terror. American Journal of Political Science 49(3):

5 13. February 16: Organizations & Funding. Matthew Levitt Hamas: Politics, Charity, and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad. New Haven: Yale University Press. Chapter 3, pages February 18: No Class International Studies Association Conference. 15. February 23: First Examination. 16. February 25: Counterterrorism: Assessment of the Threat. Adam Roberts. Ethics, Terrorism, and Counter-terrorism. Terrorism and Political Violence 1(1): 48 69; Philip H. Gordon. Can the War on Terror Be Won?: How to Fight the Right War. Foreign Affairs 86(6): March 2: Counterterrorism: Policy Choice II. Robert Powell Allocating Defensive Resources with Private Information about Vulnerability. American Political Science Review 101(4): March 4: Counterterrorism: Policy Choice I. Ethan Bueno de Mesquita Politics and the Suboptimal Provision of Counterterror. International Organization 61(1): March 9 & 11: Spring Break. 20. March 16: State Sponsorship I. Daniel Byman Deadly Connections. Chapters 1 2, pages March 18: State Sponsorship II. Daniel Byman Deadly Connections. Chapters 3 5, pages March 23: State Sponsorship III: Cases. Daniel Byman Deadly Connections. Chapters 6 7, pages March 25: State Sponsorship IV Passive Sponsorship & Counterterror. Daniel Byman Deadly Connections. Chapters 8-10, pages March 30: Bargaining and Violent Conflict. James Fearon Rationalist Explanations for War. International Organization 49(3): April 1: Escalation to Inter-State War. Kenneth A. Schultz War as an Enforcement Problem: Interstate Conflict over Rebel Support in Civil Wars. Working Paper, Stanford University. 26. April 6: Negotiation Group Factions. Andrew Kydd and Barbara F. Walter Sabotaging the Peace: The Politics of Extremist Violence. International Organization 56(2): April 8: Negotiation Groups and Hosts. Navin Bapat State Bargaining with Transnational Terrorist Groups. International Studies Quarterly 50(2):

6 28. April 13: Negotiation: Ending the Conflict. Barbara F. Walter The Critical Barrier to Civil War Settlement. International Organization 51(3): April 15: Examination April 20, 22, 27 & 29: Paper Idea Presentations 5 Minutes for Each Student. Additional time will be used for questions and comments from classmates. This is a great opportunity to get feedback on your paper idea that can lead to improvements before the final copy is due. 31. May 3: Final Paper Due Today by 5:00pm 6

7 SPECIAL PROVISIONS Students with documented disabilities who require special accommodations should meet with me and express their needs during the first two weeks of the class. All discussions will remain confidential. I want to do whatever possible to assure each student full and rewarding participation in the course. ABSENCES If a student anticipates missing a day or more of class due to a scheduling conflict, please let me know as far in advance as possible. I will try to be as accommodating as possible for legitimate conflicts, but need to be informed at least a week in advance if possible. If an emergency situation arises or a student needs to miss a course for medical reasons, relevant documentation will be required to excuse the student for missing class. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY The Department of Political Science, along with the College of the Liberal Arts and the University, takes violations of academic dishonesty seriously. Observing basic honesty in one s work, words, ideas, and actions is a principle to which all members of the community are required to subscribe. All course work by students is to be done on an individual basis unless an instructor clearly states that an alternative is acceptable. Any reference materials used in the preparation of any assignment must be explicitly cited. Students uncertain about proper citation are responsible for checking with their instructor. In an examination setting, unless the instructor gives explicit prior instructions to the contrary, whether the examination is in class or take home, violations of academic integrity shall consist but are not limited to any attempt to receive assistance from written or printed aids, or from any person or papers or electronic devices, or of any attempt to give assistance, whether the one so doing has completed his or her own work or not. Lying to the instructor or purposely misleading any Penn State administrator shall also constitute a violation of academic integrity. In cases of any violation of academic integrity it is the policy of the Department of Political Science to follow procedures established by the College of the Liberal Arts. More information on academic integrity and procedures followed for violation can be found at: Integrity/integrity.shtml DISABILITIES The Pennsylvania State University encourages qualified people with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities and is committed to the policy that all people shall have equal access to programs, facilities, and admissions without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined 7

8 by University policy or by state or federal authorities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation in this course or have questions about physical access, please tell the instructor as soon as possible. Reasonable accommodations will be made for all students with disabilities, but it is the student s responsibility to inform the instructor early in the term. Do not wait until just before an exam to decide you want to inform the instructor of a learning disability; any accommodations for disabilities must be arranged well in advance. 8